- American
America Eats Tavern
Menu for America Eats Tavern
Soups, Salads & Sandwiches
-
She Crab Soup
$11.00
(william deas, charleston, sc, 1909), scottish seafood bisque transformed with the addition of carolina blue crabs. deas, who cooked for the charleston mayor, dressed it up with crab roe when his boss hosted president taft for dinner.
-
Mock Turtle Soup
$11.00
(amelia simmons, american cookery, 1796 ), in the first american cookbook, simmons included a recipe for both turtle soup and mock turtle --- or, as she put it, to dress a calve's head. turtle fashion.'' the diamondback terrapin --- maryland's official state reptile --- was considered slave food until it grew fashionable in stews and soups in the 19th century. from louisiana to the mid-atlantic, turtle soup was wildly popular until the population collapsed and the trade ended in 1971, tuesday and wednesday only.
-
Clinton's Gazpacho
$9.00 - $15.00
(mary randolph included a recipe for what she called gaspacha'' in her 1838 virginia cookbook, showing the early spanish influence on american cooking. gazpacho finally arrived at the white house 160 years later, where it became one of president clinton's favorites.
-
Shrimp In Grapefruit Cocktail
$14.00
(irma rombauer, joy of cooking, 1931) , rombauer was a st louis widow who self-published the joy of cooking as she struggled to support her family. the book sold in the millions through the 20th century, with its simple, conversational recipes. this fresh salad, from rombauer's first edition, reflects the great journey of the american grapefruit. a century before the joy of cooking, they traveled from barbados to florida, and then --- with the help of spanish missionaries --- to texas, where the ruby red was born.
-
Harvard Beet Salad
$12.00
(fannie farmer, the boston cooking school cook book, 1906 ), supposedly named after the crimson color of harvard, this dish uses cornstarch, unlike its predecessors, the root puddings of medieval europe.
-
Peanut Soup
$9.00
(george washington carver, 1914 ), carver published his peanut research to show how poor african-american farmers could prosper from an unpopular crop, peanut butter quickly grew from a delicacy to a commercial success, we take crushed peanuts, peanut praline and mace to recreate something close to the recipe of rufus estes, estes was born a slave but rose to become executive chef of the pullman railroad car company in chicago.
-
Cobb Salad
$16.00
(robert cobb, hollywood, 1936), cobb was the owner of the renowned brown derby restaurant in hollywood, one night he was hungry and supposedly created this salad from the leftovers he discovered in the walk-in refrigerator, he loved the result so much that he added it to the menu.
-
Maine Lobster Roll
$16.00
(john d. rockefeller, mount desert island, maine, 1910 ), lobsters were so abundant that native americans used them as fertilizer and fishing bait, for centuries, lobster was seen as a demeaning food for prisoners and servants, dockworkers insisted on contracts that kept their lobster diet to a minimum, that all supposedly changed 100 years ago when rockefeller mistakenly ate --- and loved --- a bowl of his servants' lobster stew at his summer home in maine.
-
Waldorf Salad You're The Top'
$12.00
(oscar tschirky, new york city, 1893 ), tschirky was a swiss immigrant who started his career as a busboy but rose to become maitre d'hotel of the waldorf-astoria, his original recipe included only apples, celery and mayonnaise, walnuts appeared two decades later.
-
Oyster Po' Boy
$14.00
(clovis and benjamin marin, new orleans, 1925 ), the marins worked as streetcar conductors before they opened their restaurant in the french market. so when the transit workers went on strike, they supported the poor boys'' by giving them free sandwiches through the end of their popular but violent struggle. seafood was abundant and cheap at the time, it was also easier to eat than the traditional leftover roasts.
Catsups
-
Oyster
mary randolph, the virginia housewife, 1838.
-
Gooseberry
mrs f. l. gillette and hugo ziemann, the white house cookbook, 1887.
-
Anchovy
eliza leslie, directions for cookery, 1837.
-
Blueberry
maria parloa, miss parloa's new cook book, 1880.
-
Mushroom
catherine beecher, miss beecher's domestic receipt book, 1846.
-
Tomato
lydia maria child, the frugal housewife, 1830 the grandmother of the heinz tomato ketchup.
-
Blackberry
mrs e. f. haskell, the housekeeper's encyclopedia, 1861.
-
Jack Daniel's
lynchburg, tennessee, 1866.
Meats & Fish
-
Mutton Shoulder With Oysters And Catsups
$26.00
(esther allen howland, the new england economical housekeeper, 1845), howland was married to a publisher who was a direct descendant of one of the mayflower pilgrims, her hugely popular book was an eclectic mix of economical'' recipes and useful'' medicinal remedies, her recipe called for hanging the mutton for some days'' then salting it for two more days, (friday only.)
-
Eisenhower's Stew
$30.00
(dwight d. eisenhower, washington dc, 1954), this dish was included among ike's personal recipe collection, as general eisenhower's old-fashioned beef stew.'' the original recipe, using 20 pounds of meat and similar quantities of vegetables, was supposed to feed 60 people. the white house warned that the scaled-down recipe, widely requested by the public and reprinted in newspapers, had not been tested in such small portions.
-
Shrimp, Crawfish And Pork Jambalaya
$36.00
(sarah josepha hale, new household receipt-book, 1853), the origins of jambalaya are as mixed as the dish, with its flavors from africa, france, spain and the middle east. mrs hale, who is credited with making thanksgiving a national holiday, published the first known recipe in 1853. in provence, in the south of france, a jambalaia at that time was a mixed stew with rice. but in louisiana it became something bigger in the original american melting pot.
-
Chesapeake Crabcakes With Pickled Watermelon Salad
$12.00 - $18.00
(lord baltimore Hotel, 1932), Just four years after opening, the landmark baltimore hotel published the first known recipe for this chesapeake favorite.
-
Bbq Beef Short Ribs With Cold Slaw
$28.00
(lettice bryan, the kentucky housewife, 1839), barbecue was a caribbean cooking technique that traveled first to virginia and the carolinas, along with the african slaves' taste for spices and peppers. in texas, barbecue came to mean beef, in a sweeter sauce. in north carolina, the pork is cooked in a vinegar-based sauce. we serve our ribs with sauces inspired by both state traditions, along with the coleslaw that first arrived with dutch settlers.
-
Cornmeal Crusted Croaker With Succotash
$24.00
(plymouth, massachusetts, 1769), the first printed mention of succotash came on a menu celebrating the first forefather's day to mark the landing at plymouth rock. but the dish finds its origins in a native american dish called misickquatash, meaning an ear of corn. the pilgrims turned it into a stew of beans, meat, potatoes and ground corn.
-
Bison Tomahawk Steak
$68.00
with cheddar mashed potatoes, catsups & pickles, (lewis and clark, south dakota, 1804), bison was a vital and sacred part of the native american culture for many thousands of years before lewis and clark ate their first on august 23, 1804. as they crossed the great plains, the great explorers each consumed nine pounds of meat a day. but by the end of the century, commercial hunters almost finished off the majestic species as factories demanded bison leather for machine belts. the us army even tried to eliminate bison as a way to control the tribes that relied on its meat.
-
Chicken Pot Pie
$28.00
(hannah glasse, the art of cookery made plain and easy, 1805), the first pot pies appeared in print in america as early as 1785. within two decades, the classic cookbook by the english writer hannah glasse described the pot pie as the american mode of cooking.'', thursday only.
-
Kentucky Burgoo With Rabbit, Squab & Lamb
$32.00
(gus jaubert, kentucky, 1860s), burgoo was originally the porridge served to english sailors, until french chef jaubert transformed it into a meaty stew while serving the confederate general john hunt morgan. originally made with blackbirds and squirrels, kentucky burgoo is still served to large crowds on derby day, (wednesday only.)
-
New England Chowder With Poached Cod
$28.00
(plymouth, massachusetts,1624), chowder was originally a fish stew from brittany, france, and the native americans cooked their own thickened broth of clams and potatoes. the pilgrims initially disdained clams. but they soon changed their tastes, and they changed chowder forever, when they brought cows to america in 1624. it was the addition of milk that made chowder a new england favorite.
-
Lobster Newberg
$30.00
(delmonico's, 1876), the secret sauce came to delmonico's from ben wenberg, who shipped fruit from south and central america. wenberg used rum and cayenne from latin america, but delmonico's chef substituted sherry for the rum and created a classic. wenberg was later banished from the restaurant after some forgotten dispute, but his sauce was too popular. so delmonico's simply reversed a few letters to rename the dish newberg.
-
Eggs A La Benedick
$12.00 - $16.00
(charles ranhofer, new york, 1894), chef ranhofer is thought to have developed this classic at his legendary delmonico's restaurant for a patron, mrs legrand benedict, who wanted something new for lunch. ranhofer included the dish in his 1894 book the epicurean, (one egg, two egg.)
Bread Basket
- Bread Basket $8.00
Oysters
-
Oysters On The Half Shell
$14.00 - $26.00
(thomas downing, new york city, 1825), downing owned the most famous oyster cellar in new york. a free african american, he stored his oysters in the basement, where escaping slaves hid on the underground railroad to freedom. these oysters are inspired by the traditional garnishes served by new york's oystermen: house-made fruit vinegars, black pepper, sea salt and lemon.
-
Hangtown Fry
$12.00
(hangtown, california, 1849), hangtown was a rough mining town known for its public hangings and its gold strikes. when a lucky 49er struck gold, he celebrated at the cary house restaurant by ordering this dish. perhaps the first true californian cuisine, it combines the most expensive ingredients of the time: oysters, eggs and bacon.
-
Pickled Oysters
$12.00
(new york city, 18th century), an american tavern favorite since the mid 1700s, before the days of canning, using the popular spices of the era. perfect with beer.
-
Spoonbread With Oyster Ice Cream And Caviar
$15.00
(eliza leslie, the lady's receipt book, 1847), first named as indian puffs, this spoonbread is so light it could almost be a souffle, the ice cream was inspired by one of mark twain's favorite snacks, (friday only.)
-
Oyster Stew
$12.00
(Grand Central Oyster Bar, New York City, 1913), Grand Central is the last living link to New York's great oyster culture. As rail travel declined, so did the oyster bar, which abandoned almost all its seafood dishes by the early 1970s. The one oyster dish that never left the menu through the decades before its revival was this great stew, (wednesday only.)
-
Oysters Rockefeller
$15.00
(antoine's, new orleans, 1899), when antoine alciatore's escargots grew hard to find and out of fashion, his son jules reinvented the dish with local gulf oysters, he named it for the richest man in the world because it tastes and looks like a million dollars, jules' original recipe remains a secret, (thursday only.)
-
Grilled Butter Oysters
$12.00
(thomas downing, new york city, 1825), a downing specialty beloved by the power-brokers, financiers and socialites who made his oyster cellar so successful, smoky oysters on the half shell, touched by the flame that rises from a drop of butter and a bed of oak charcoal.
To Follow
-
Pickled Sturgeon With Caviar
$12.00
(mary randolph, the virginia housewife, 1838), the first regional american cookbook included several incredible pickles, including this fish --- now prized, but originally served to slaves. in the late 1800s, a dime could buy you a serving of the finest caviar from the hudson valley, (thursday only.)
-
Buffalo Wings
$14.00
(frank and teressa's, anchor bar, buffalo, 1964), a late night inspiration by teressa belissimo to impress her bar-tending son and his hungry friends. rather than throw the wings into a stock, teressa transformed them into something fried and spicy, they were an immediate hit.
-
Hush Puppies
$10.00 - $21.00
with homemade corn butter and american sturgeon caviar, a southern fisherman's favorite, fried over an open fire with the leftovers to keep the dogs quiet, at some point, humans figured the corn cake was a perfect match with freshly caught fish --- or american caviar, (with 1/2 oz.caviar.)
-
Crab With Old Bay Air, Out Of The Shell
$12.00
(Baltimore, 1940), Spice merchant Gustav Brunn escaped Nazi Germany with a hand-cranked grinder in his suitcase. He created Old Bay in 1940 for Maryland's beloved crabs and the recipe remains unchanged, (each.)
-
Fried Chicken With Catsup
$12.00
(gordonsville, virginia, 1869), deep-fried foods, first introduced by spanish and portugese slave-traders, are the living history that links the south and the mediterranean, during the civil war, women sold fried chicken from trays balanced on their heads to soldiers along the c&o railroad in gordonsville.
-
Shrimp Remoulade & Fried Green Tomatoes
$14.00
(francois tanty, french cooking for every home, adapted to american requirements, 1893), tanty was chef to napoleon iii and the russian czar before he came to america, and this dish is inspired by both worlds, remoulade was a classic french sauce, which was transformed with creole spices, as chefs like tanty adapted it to american requirements.
-
Baby Corn On The Cob With Brown Butter
$12.00
native americans taught the colonists how to survive by growing and harvesting corn. now corn is the most widely grown crop in the americas, this sweet baby corn, from the best farming co-op near the nation's capital, is how corn should taste.
-
Shrimp N' Anson Mills Grits
$14.00
(jamestown, 1607), native americans first taught the colonists to hull corn into hominy, creating one of the first truly american foods, here we use creamy anson mills grits, carefully milled from rediscovered heirloom corn.
-
Vermicelli Prepared Like Pudding
$8.00
(philadelphia, 1802), the grandfather of today's mac n' cheese was first written down by lewis fresnaye, a refugee from the french revolution, one of america's first commercial pasta-makers, fresnaye handed out this recipe with the coiled pasta he sold.
-
Clambake
$15.00
native americans taught the first settlers how to dig for clams in the 1600s but the colonists thought the shellfish was inferior food for slaves, clams were first cooked with hot rocks and seaweed, today we serve them on the half-shell, just warm enough to see a wisp of steam, with clarified butter.
-
Abalone
with butter-pepper air, bourbon worcestershire, (john steinbeck, cannery row, monterey, 1945), abalone was an abundant, delicious california seafood which was decimated by over-fishing in less than a decade, we thinly slice our sustainable, farm-raised abalone, and serve it on the shell with a delicate butter air.
Menu for America Eats Tavern provided by Allmenus.com
DISCLAIMER: Information shown may not reflect recent changes. Check with this restaurant for current pricing and menu information. A listing on Allmenus.com does not necessarily reflect our affiliation with or endorsement of the listed restaurant, or the listed restaurant's endorsement of Allmenus.com. Please tell us by clicking here if you know that any of the information shown is incorrect. For more information, please read our Terms and Conditions.
Dining options for America Eats Tavern
Ratings and Reviews for America Eats Tavern
-
May 03 2012
K M. via Yelp
I tried last year to get reservations to Minibar for our anniversary but was unsuccessful. I was determined this year! I had it marked on my calendar...read more
-
Mar 31 2012
Adam Z. via Yelp
Although I could probably have still eaten a Five Guys burgers afterwards, one of the best and most interesting meals ever. Definitely in our top 10. I mean...read more
-
Mar 26 2012
Alex S. via Yelp
After 30+ days of trying and never getting higher than second on the waitlist, I finally got a reservation just in time for my boyfriend's birthday. The...read more